MSB S2E11: Out of this World

I am ready to take this review into outer space again! Take chances, make mistakes, go out of this world! I am about to review the episode about space rocks, especially because of Dorothy Ann's study of space. Blog, do your stuff!

24. Out of this World.
Topics: Space Rocks and Orbits.
Written by: Libby Hinson & George Arthur Bloom.
Guest star: Swoosie Kurtz as Dorothy Ann's mum.
Aired: 17 December 1995.

Dorothy Ann has a nightmare about an asteroid crashing into Walkerville Elementary. She has also spotted an asteroid that will hit Earth in about five days and is worried that it will destroy her school to make her nightmare come true. To protect the school with her ideas, the class calls NASA, and has decided "to find it, follow it and finish it off," with a Star Trek theme. They also encounter a meteor and comet in this episode.

This is a cute big spaceship that Capt'n Dorothy Ann was flying through space. And if you listen to Mr. Fleck's voice carefully, it's Neil Crone voicing him.

"Frizzle!!!"

Turns out Dorothy Ann was just having a nightmare about that asteroid hitting Walkerville Elementary School.

Look at Dorothy Ann's room. Not only is it all girly, (numerous shades of pink and violet on her rug, bed, chair, drawers, bed curtains, carpet and having a dollhouse), but there's books galore!

Another interesting thing about this episode. Whilst Dorothy Ann is studying the asteroid (meaning her nightmare could be true), her mum comes out, and she's voiced by Swoosie Kurtz. And look at her hairstyle. I'll talk about that later.

Turns out Ms. Frizzle's class is having a Solar System play. Liz is Mercury, Wanda is Venus, Tim is Earth, Carlos is Mars, Ralphie's Jupiter, Arnold's Saturn, and I'm guessing Phoebe's Uranus and Keesha's Neptune.

Funny that Phoebe mentioned that planets crossing paths with a possibility of crashing into each other, especially since after she mentioned it, Dorothy Ann, in a panicky rush, crashed into Ms. Frizzle.

"Yeah. You were supposed to be Pluto. Arf! Arf!"

"Carlos!"

Very funny Disney reference, Carlos! And maybe that face he made when the class called him out for this pun inspired the troll face? 

 

Good callback Ralphie made. The time Arnold's loony cousin Janet tried to bring an asteroid onto The Magic School Bus, causing the class to get lost in space.

Funny how they had to call NASA about the asteroid. And look at Liz spin that planet on her finger.

All aboard the Magic Space Bus! It's out of this world, it's going star trekkin' across the universe!

Funny that Liz is Lieutenant Liz, especially since during this field trip, she looks like Mr. Spock, a.k.a. Scotty.

They're melting a comet! I take it this comet is made of weak rock.

"Tell us, Wanda. How does it feel to have saved Walker Elementary School from sure destruction?"

"Sorry! No comet!"

"Good one, Wanda!"

That was a good pun Wanda made, especially since they got rid of a comet. 

"You got us into this D.A. What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?"

"Um, I wish I knew!!!!!!!"

Looks like there's no other way to get rid of the asteroid! I mean it's made out of rock and steel. 

"Just launch this baby and, whammo! A done deal!"

"Looks like your idea's out to launch!"

"Ralphie!"

Now it's Ralphie's turn to be called out for a pun! 

But it turns out Ralphie was right. Carlos' idea was out to launch! He and Ms. Frizzle are stuck!

Wait a minute! Phoebe's got an idea! She figured out how to stop the asteroid from going to Earth.

 And she suggested this to Dorothy Ann who suggested it to Liz. Turn the main character into a moon and get the asteroid to orbit it!

"You can do it, Liz!"

"You got the right stuff!"

"If you don't do it, we'll all be the right stuffing!"

"Carlos!"

I guess they could've been the right stuffing if it wasn't for Liz. 

 They couldn't have done any of this without Liz, but really it was Dorothy Ann and Phoebe. Dorothy Ann warned the whole class about the asteroid, and Phoebe suggested the idea of making the asteroid orbit.

Now this is an introduction we have. We're introduced to Dorothy Ann's sister Evan. This leaves me with another headscratcher.

"Isn't that spectacular? Too bad Dorothy Ann's on that field trip with her class. Your sister would've loved to have seen this."

Little did Dorothy Ann's mum realise her eldest daughter was responsible for this meteor shower. 

"Change its course, of course!"

"Carlos!"

That was a good pun Carlos made! Change an asteroid's course! 

I take it these tubs of films are made of metal considering they stuck to this magnet.

Liz is stuffed in space junk from the closet!

The beginning had Mr. Fleck being voiced by Neil Crone. I can tell it was Neil Crone because he'd later go on the box office bomb Thomas and the Magic Railway to voice Gordon, Splatter and Twinkletoes.

Let's go over my headscratcher I have with this. We're introduced to Dorothy Ann's sister Evan. The headscratcher I have is this; who was looking after her during the events of Going Batty? Both her parents were on that field trip, so who was looking after Evan?

Also, Dorothy Ann's mum referred to her eldest daughter by both her first and middle name while she's more commonly referred to as "D.A.". Could this be the reason no one ever refers to her as just "Dorothy"?

I take it that Captain Planet Magic School Bus conspiracy links to this episode somehow. Well, Tim was playing Earth in the Solar System play, probably another reason the ones who made that conspiracy said that Tim grew up to be Kwame. But also, Dorothy Ann's mum looks like Linka from the same series, same face style, same hairstyle, but the ones who made that conspiracy say Dorothy Ann grew up to be Linka.

I can see why people might like to call this the Star Trek episode. Because The Magic School Bus looked exactly like the USS Enterprise, Liz looked just like Mr. Spock, and the kids were dressed in Star Trek-esque clothes. And Ms. Frizzle was acting like Captain James Kirk.

Not to mention there was a tiny Star Wars reference. Ms. Frizzle had the same hairstyle as Princess Leia.

It's shown that Ralphie loves the science fiction film, When Worlds Collide, that was released in 1951. Makes sense to mention a science fiction film since this series is made to teach kids about science.

I've been thinking. Could this episode have predicted that Pluto would lose its planetary status? I mean Dorothy Ann was supposed to be Pluto in the play at the beginning, to which Carlos barked at, referencing the Disney character Pluto. Good pun he made there. Hope Disney doesn't sue him for copyright.

And a good callback Ralphie made, referencing the series premiere when Janet tried to bring an asteroid from the asteroid belt.

And this is another episode where Arnold doesn't say he "should've stayed home today", but another catchphrase of his. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

This episode was entertaining. It teaches kids about how space rocks orbit things, Dorothy Ann sure knows about space, there were puns galore, it feels a lot like Star Trek, and we're briefly introduced to Dorothy Ann's sister. Puns including Carlos making a Disney reference, Wanda saying "Sorry. No comet!", Ralphie saying Carlos' idea was "out of launch", and Carlos mentioning the right stuffing, and saying change the asteroid's path. If I would rank all the episodes of this season, I'd rank this very high. It's that good. And a minor reason for my rating is because Dorothy Ann's my favourite Magic School Bus kid, so I guess I'm being biased.

My rating: 10/10.

Season 2 scorecard:

1. Blows its Top: 10/10.

2. Flexes its Muscles: 10/10.

3. The Busasaurus: 10/10.

4. Going Batty: 9.5/10.

5. Butterfly and the Bog Beast: 9/10.

6. Wet All Over: 9.5/10.

7. In a Pickle: 9/10.

8. Revving Up: 9.5/10.

9. Taking Flight: 9.5/10.

10. Getting Energised: 8.5/10.

11. Out of this World: 10/10.

Season 2 so far: 9.5/10.